A Preschool Year in Review

When you have children everything starts moving at hyper speed. This was never more evident to me than last week when Vincent finished his first year of preschool. What is it about measuring time by school years that makes it seem to fly by even more quickly?

Here he is on the first day. My first born going to school. I know it was only a couple days a week, but allow me the drama.

I made cake pops when they celebrated the October birthdays. Vinny is always up for a good cake pop.

The fall festival included live animals. It was a huge hit.

Vincent class got to be donkeys and lambs in the Christmas pageant.

Does this make me the mother of a donkey’s behind?

Santa came to visit at Christmas. Vincent wanted nothing to do with it.

Their first field trip was to the bakery. There is Vincent and Loren. Loren would give both Vincent and Franklin a hug at end of the day dismissal, a fact that was not lost on Franklin. Both boys adore her.

Then there was the trip to the zoo to see the capachin monkeys, which I always mispronounce, and Vincent always corrects me. I know how to pronounce it now, but don’t tell Vincent.

Mother’s Day Tea is still talked about almost daily in our house, and my gift is proudly displayed next to the computer.

Daddy’s Pizza Night was an equally big hit. Vincent made placemats for himself and Patrick. Patrick’s said, “My daddy likes to watch football.” Vincent’s said, “I like resting.” Resting is code in out house for “laying down on mom and dad's bed for a half-an-hour watching Power Rangers, while mom starts dinner.”

The last day of school. I only noticed the day before that his uniform pants are about two inches too short. They started off a bit too long. When did all this growing happen?

The end-of-the-year pot luck was wonderful, complete with entertainment. Lantern Bay park will soon be featured on our Summer Park Tour.

There were so many events that I didn’t get my camera out for I this year, as I was wrestling with Franklin or Coco- the Halloween and Easter parades, the Art Show, the Marian Day celebration and the May pole. There will be opportunities to get pictures of those next year, but I would have been really sad, as would Vincent, if I didn’t get these photos with his amazing teachers.

I could not have asked for a better first school experience for Vincent. Mrs. Abang has the patience of a saint. I have never seen someone so calm and consistent. It was probably a shock for Vincent, coming from the constant crazy of our home. Vincent has never done great with leaving me, but his face lit up in the morning when he saw Mrs. Abang at the classroom door.

Mrs. Masters was really on the ball. I don’t think anything can get past that woman- exactly what you want when you leave your child at school. Franklin seems to think he will be in her class next year. I think Mrs. Masters would understand Franklin perfectly. I appreciate Mrs. Master’s sense of humor and how she understood Vincent.

If you ask Vincent, he will probably tell you Mrs. Leach hung the moon, invented candy, and launched the space shuttle. Everyday Vincent would report the activity he did with Mrs. Leach or what Mrs. Leach said. The days he got to be her helper were like winning the lottery. To say that Vincent adores Mrs. Leach would be a gross understatement.

So there it is, the year in review. My dad asked him the other day if he was learning anything new at school. He replied, “no, we just learn about God.” In reality, he went from writing VH as his name to writing Vincent H. He recognizes letters and numbers and asks me how to spell things. He has figured out how to play with kids that are not his siblings.

He has self control...he gets that from his father.

And he learns about God. I can’t ask for much more than that.